Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 26 (SocialNews.XYZ) Leader of the Opposition Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday hit out at Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala over a meeting he convened with the Lokayukta and Upa‑Lokayuktas, terming it highly serious and anti‑democratic.
Vijayan accused the United Democratic Front (UDF) government of attempting to bring an independent institution under executive control. The meeting was attended by the Lokayukta, Upa‑Lokayuktas, Director General of Prosecution Asaf Ali, Additional Chief Secretary of the Home Department and the Law Secretary.
“Calling the Lokayukta and Upa‑Lokayuktas directly by a Minister is against the basic principle of separation of the executive and judiciary,” Vijayan said. He added that the move undermined the spirit of the Constitution and the Kerala Lokayukta Act.
The Lokayukta is empowered to investigate allegations against public servants, including corruption, nepotism and abuse of power. The Chief Minister, Ministers, legislators and government officials come within its ambit.
Vijayan said the Home Minister should not summon the heads of an institution expected to function independently. He also questioned the presence of senior government officials and the prosecution chief at the meeting, saying such a gathering could raise doubts about the Lokayukta's impartiality.
He noted that the Lokayukta had powers to receive evidence, summon witnesses, conduct investigations and submit reports against public servants. He alleged that the government had adopted an improper approach towards the institution.
Recalling the UDF’s earlier stand, Vijayan said its leaders had strongly defended the autonomy of the Lokayukta when in Opposition. They had opposed amendments brought by the previous Left Democratic Front (LDF) government and even approached the Governor, alleging the changes would weaken the institution.
Vijayan pointed out that Chennithala himself had approached the Kerala High Court against the amendments, arguing they amounted to an intrusion into the Lokayukta's judicial powers. The High Court later dismissed the petition.
He said the latest meeting was therefore particularly significant and accused the government of dragging Lokayukta judges into a controversy. “The government should not repeat such a move which damages the credibility of the Lokayukta,” he said, adding that the institution must be allowed to function independently.
The remarks are likely to trigger a fresh political confrontation between the LDF Opposition and the UDF government over the Lokayukta's functioning and autonomy.
Source: IANS
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